What I've Been Doing During A Social Media Blackout

A very few of you beady eyed folks will have noticed that things all Not Copper Armour have been really quiet, in fact all but none existent which wasn't planned but was needed. After last month's blog post about balancing blogging and full time work it was becoming apparent that I hadn't found it yet, the fact is whilst I was practicing what I preached there physically wasn't enough time in the day to fit it all in - it was starting feel like everything was half hearted and lacking quality. It was time to take stock properly of what I'm doing, how I'm doing it and what I actually need or want. Here's why it all went dark on the blog and why it wasn't as bad as it sounds.

During the middle of November everything I had to do like work, sleep, travel, eat, rest and what I wanted to do like gym, blog, photograph and get more sleep couldn't easily fit into a week that amounted to the quality I was looking for. After a growing unhappiness in my 9-5 job it was time to realign with my current goals and the ones I had only considered to be a fantasy, in hopes to making baby steps in the right direction.

This is where Sophie from A Considered Life (formerly Private Life Of A Girl) joins my blog's journey, after taking advantage of her new venture as a content strategy consultant she gave me some stellar, objective expertise and advice. I needed someone with fresh eyes to look at the current blog layout and behind the scenes workings and tell me where I was going wrong, business or lifestyle wise so it could benefit my blog in the long run. Whilst we spoke about future ideas and goals, we also discussed ways to implement these plans including taking some time away to get ahead of myself but also drop my schedule from 4 days to 3 - a scary prospect. This new plan of attack should influence a change in how I do things and hopefully bring with it a more meaningful balance with my blog and what I want to project with my space. This chat and subsequent correspondences prompted me to take some time away and have a real good old think and I also did some ...

Reading...

I've always been honest about the fact that me and reading have had a rocky relationship since finishing my university courses; the intense research, essay reading and writing severely diminished my love to pick up a good book. As I love learning and as some current new ideas I'd been contemplating need more of a supportive grounding and knowledge, it has been essential to turn the pages and as they've been incredibly inspirational it hasn't felt like a chore at all. It's been good to take advantage of the 9-5 lunch break as it's the perfect chance to escape the monotony, some of my reads during this time include:

Planning...

It's fair to say that the blog in some places needs work from a brand perspective and from a potential business model as way to actually earn a few pennies in a more consistent manner. As 2017 has been the year of the job hunt resulting in an office role that doesn't give me joy (although I'm incredibly grateful they've seen something in me and I get money at the end of the month), it has made me more determined to make this space bigger and more fulfilling. This has meant trying to get ahead of myself and defining a new schedule. it has meant going back to basics and breaking down what I want and what I can give, it has meant brainstorms, to do lists the size of my arm, writing pages upon pages of potential ideas and sussing out how to bring it all together in an appealing package.

Time To Regroup ...

It's only when you take a step back do you realise how much time you can devote to your passions, blogging can take up an unbelievable amount of time even if like me you're a part time blogger - it can equate to days out of your week. Although during the blackout I've felt on occasion at a loose end as I wasn't being a creative Miss (which is odd as this blog and photography is an escape as much as a release) but it's been good to simply unplug, not keep up with the latest social media news or fall for the draw of the never ending scroll and not constantly compare myself to those who are doing it so much better. It's given me time to begin to establish a night time routine that gives me a defined cut off point and more beneficial morning routine or veg out with mindless TV choices just because I can. Others things I caught up with: